Reduce costs and complaints, improve hygiene with the right stuff

Choosing the right washroom product dispensers can make the difference between compliments and complaints, and a hygienic, well-stocked restroom versus one plagued by supply run-out and unsanitary conditions.

Here are some guidelines for choosing dispensers:

Select systems that offer controlled dispensing. How a product is dispensed can have a big impact on waste reduction and restroom cleanliness. If your folded towel system isn’t working properly — dispensing several towels at a time or tabbing out when people reach for a single towel — it is creating more waste because more towels are dispensed than are actually needed.

Purchase high-capacity dispensing systems. Nothing says “unhygienic” more than the absence of toilet paper, hand soap, or hand towels in a restroom. One way to help ensure an adequate supply of product, as well as to ease maintenance headaches and reduce costs and waste, is to purchase high- capacity dispensing systems — to reduce product runout by lasting longer and offering less-frequent product change outs.

Touch-free technology. When people visit public restrooms, they often go to great lengths to avoid touching things. One way to address their concerns is through no-touch dispensing. By eliminating one possible source of cross-contamination, touch-free dispensers can help reduce the spread of germs.

No-touch technology is especially crucial for hand towel dispensers, since hand towels are typically used once hands are clean. Keep in mind that touch-free systems don’t have to be electronic; simple, mechanical no-touch towel dispensers — with no levers to pull and no batteries to change — are also available and provide the same hygienic benefits as sensor-activated dispensers.

Ron Beal is the dispenser category manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional, based in Roswell, GA.